Our aid
Discover the aid items that you provide to help families rebuild their lives
ShelterBox started supporting people after disaster 25 years ago.
At that time, we were all about our iconic green ShelterBoxes. For a long time, we only shipped our aid items inside those boxes.
Now, we’ve gone beyond the box – and we no longer use them. Read more to learn why.
There are lots of reasons why we’ve gone beyond the box.
Some of the aid items no longer fit in the boxes. Like our tents. These are now bigger, so people have more space and privacy.
Where possible, we procure items locally. This is better for the environment as it cuts our carbon footprint. It can also be good for the local economy.
Using pallets to ship items, instead of packing boxes, means faster delivery times and customs checks. So we can reach people as quickly as possible.
Sending items without using boxes also makes it easier to store them in the warehouses we use, close to the areas where many disasters happen.
We love our ShelterBoxes. We know our supporters do too.
But, while the box will still be right there in our name, we now work in a way that means more people can have access to emergency shelter options after disaster.
We still offer tents and shelter kits, but now we have more robust emergency shelters with things like concrete bases to prevent flooding, and corrugated iron roofs.
Our teams work with affected communities to understand what people need the most, and we tailor our support to meet those needs.
We are expanding and developing our offer, being flexible and learning from the people we support.
Recently we have included…
– concrete bases in places that repeatedly flood like Pakistan
– wooden frame Sahelian tents to withstand local climates in Burkina Faso
– storm strapping to make timber shelters more robust in the Philippines
– cash assistance alongside our shelter support in Cameroon, the Philippes, Moldova and Pakistan
Discover the aid items that you provide to help families rebuild their lives
Get the latest updates from the field and discover where we’re supporting communities around the world in the aftermath of disaster and conflict.
Read why we no longer use the term ‘natural disasters’, the definition of a disaster, and how we have come to change our language.